How Do You Take Your Turmeric?

As many of you know, Turmeric has health attributes that contribute to fighting inflammation. Those suffering from arthritis or joint pain have often have turned to Turmeric which lowers levels of inflammatory enzymes.

Turmeric is under study for its potential to affect human diseases, including kidney and cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, cancer, irritable bowel disease, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, and other clinical disorders (source: Wikipedia).

Knowing that many of you already know this and probably incorporate turmeric into your diet as much as possible, lets get a conversation going about ‘how’ you take it, and how much… which may prove beneficial for others who read this:

About Turmeric:
Turmeric (native to southwest India) is of the ginger family and it contains chemical compounds called curcuminoids – natural phenols with a pronounced yellow color. Turmeric is the spice that gives curry powder its yellow hue and peppery flavor. Turmeric is one of the highest on the ORAC value list of ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) – ORAC units measure the antioxidant capacity of foods. Turmeric plants are gathered for their rhizomes (roots) which are boiled for about 30–45 minutes and then dried in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder.

Note: Turmeric is not very soluble with water. A better way to take is with any sauté – just sprinkle it in. The moment you heat oil and add turmeric to it, it now becomes completely bio-available to you. It has been scientifically proven that adding pepper with turmeric will drastically increase the percentage of absorption into the body.

Note: Turmeric apparently not to be used during pregnancy.

Note: If a person is on blood thinners, talk to your doctor before taking turmeric.

Disclaimer: The information provided here, and the comments below, is not medical advice. It is recommended that you always do your own due-diligence and consult your doctor before using or consuming a product.

With that said, let’s get the conversation started…

If I decide to have eggs for breakfast, I will first add a dollop of butter to the heated pan, then add turmeric (about 1/4 tsp – but could probably do more) and black ground pepper. When it’s all visually ‘mixed’ I will then toss in the egg(s). I like them cooked ‘over easy’ – still runny 😉

44 Comments

Spook89
on 04/11/2016 at 10:32 AM

Whenever we pan-fry fish (smelt, cod, trout, etc.), we incorporate a rounded Tablespoon full +/-, into our breading mix. The result is a golden brown crust that is tasty! I intend to include it in our “house seasoning”, which is 1 cup sea salt, 1/4 cup each, of garlic powder, onion powder, and cracked black pepper. Add to that, 1/4 cup turmeric.

Spook89 Well there that is my combination also, for just about everything, one shaker, one application, I also add some Chicago steak seasoning and a little Arizona dreaming(both are from Penzeys spice company) I always get a question from people “what is the great spice you are putting on this” Yummy

I like oatmeal. So I use a mixture of 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, dash of cloves, and 1 or2 tsp. of sugar. This is added to the butter and/or milk in the cooked oatmeal. It turns yellow but who cares as it does work.

I use only 100% organic ingredients and buy all by the pound still sealed in Mylar Bags. I like the Frontier brand and get it shipped in from a local Health Foods Store. FYI if left in the Mylar, it will keep a very long time, years.

We use it in many different things. Obviously curry dishes require it. As Ken said, it is quite good for use in a saute. I use it on salads too.

Yesterday I decided to use up a couple head of broccoli while they were still fresh. Chopped into bite-size pieces, I put them in a bowl with an ounce or so of olive oil, some healthy shakes of turmeric, fresh ground black pepper, chopped garlic, ground cumin and smoked Spanish paprika. Laid that out on a baking sheet with 1/2 a cup of fresh brined, cubed feta and a handful of sesame seeds on top. 15 minutes at 425F… Delicious!

I’ve seen some people on here speak of growing turmeric. For some reason I thought that wasn’t doable in the part of the world. Would love to try that this year.

Ken, good suggestion for how you use it with eggs. I like fried eggs with pepper/butter, so will try this.

So far though, I have to say, I hate the taste of turmeric, and have not much liked anything it is in. Hope your idea will prove out..

However, I use it regular, as I have found it works, shockingly well.

From time to time I get a sort of build up in my chest. (I used to get a lot of bronchitis and pneumonia.). What I do as soon as I feel needed, is put a tsp of turmeric under my tongue, take a mouthful of something flavored and then swish the lot around and swallow. Followed by a glass of “whatever” to give lots of liquid down the hatch.

I used turmeric for my cancer dog. I gave her both caps as a C3complex and turmeric paste. Both had the piperine and the paste has oil added to it. I got the bulk from Mt. Rose herbs and I found the best deal on caps was the I-Herb brand called California Gold Nutrition

Backstory…
I was looking for a natural anti-inflammatory and natural wellness booster.
Over the last couple of months, I heard the word TUMERIC calling my name
from a friend here, a website there, wherever I turned there the word TUMERIC awaited my attention.

So…I took a leap! I ordered (2) 1 pound bags of organic ground turmeric in mylar bags from Starwest Botanicals on Amazon. Currently $17.93.

Well, even my MIL makes a breakfast concoction, so I decided to give it a try…BTW everything listed is ground and organic

I gently warm organic rice milk about 3/4 cup and pour it on top and mix together..
It looks totally weird…
BUT it tasted like GINGERBREAD PUDDING!!!!

This is fantastical-wonderiffic for me who is gluten free/dairy free/ corn/soy/dye/and additive free.

Check it out for yourself but I have found numerous articles (see Dr.Axe and search turmeric on his site) that a normal daily dosage of turmeric (I like it divided for am and pm)
naturally boosts serotonin in the brain…

I suppose you could use the recipe I posted and warm all of it over gentle heat, I used to just gently heat my rice milk and pour it on top.
But if you are looking for more of a “hot” cereal type of experience warm it on the stove top for just a bit stirring constantly. The heat from the stove and the fat inherently in the tahini and pumpkin and flax will help the turmeric more bioavailable.

Also I use a tsp of organic sugar (sometime more generous 😉 suit to your tastes. 🙂

Shepherdess, thanks for the info. on the tumeric. I’ve been looking for larger quantity of tumeric that’s organic and in mylar.
I went to Amazon and typed in Starwest Botanicals Tumeric.
As I was reading the info. on the packages it had a Warning on it that said: Contraindicated in blockage of the bile ducts, acute gallbladder inflamation, and intestinal blockage.
Do you know what that means? I’m wondering if it means it could CAUSE those things, or don’t take it if you HAVE those things.

Great topic. I drink “golden milk” most evenings and also make it for my father for his arthritis. It also helps with hormonal balance and below is the information and recipe I use.

Turmeric, the powerful, potent spice that plays a big role in Ayurvedic medicine, has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties and improve circulation and estrogen metabolism. In Ayurveda, turmeric is considered an important tool in combating everything from amenorrhea and endometriosis to fibroids and cysts, and the other ingredients, including coconut milk, are wonderful sources of healthy fats. Anecdotally, I’ve found Golden Milk to be a great supplement for women trying to combat bad cramps, an underactive thyroid, or super-cold hands and feet. And — bonus — the recipe is easy!

Instructions: To get the most out of your milk, it’s best to first cook a golden paste by blending 5 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, 1/2 cup organic turmeric powder, 1 cup water, and 1.5 teaspoons black pepper in a pot and simmer for about 10 minutes. Once this cools, you can keep it in the refrigerator in a jar for about two weeks and just take a dollop every time you make the milk.

To make the milk, warm 2 cups of coconut milk and 1 teaspoon of the golden paste in a pot, and whisk until fully mixed. Then add cinnamon, honey, and maple syrup to taste.

We eat Turmeric raw about three or four times a week before breakfast. Cut a chunk about half the size of my thumb along with a similar size chunk of ginger, a couple cloves of raw garlic and a few peppercorns. None of it tastes good raw, but it’s tolerable if chewed up really well with a slice of bacon or patty of sausage and a piece of toast or something. I don’t eat it for taste anyway. Afterwards, I enjoy my nice big, farmers breakfast.

I don’t think I could eat enough store bought powdered turmeric to do me any good, much less afford it. I also don’t think cooking a little powdered turmeric or diluting it down in soups and sauces occasionally will benefit anyone except the person who is selling it. I think, the only way to reap the health benefits of turmeric, ginger and garlic over the long term is to eat it raw on a regular basis. On the other hand, cooking with it does add flavor to dishes. I cook with it for flavor and eat it raw for health.

I cannot afford to buy Turmeric in order to eat it regularly so several years ago we bought some Turmeric root and planted it. It took two tries before we were able to get it to take and man did it ever take off!! We now have two turmeric beds.

We’ve been growing ginger for years and have established a couple nice beds of that as well and we grow lots of garlic. In fact, I just harvested some of our early garlic last week and will dig the rest of it next week. We still have about 80 feet of a later variety which won’t get harvested for another six weeks or two months. Anyway, that’s what I do with Turmeric.

I bought a few Turmeric roots from Whole Foods and planted some of it. The first year I think we put it in too late. We got some more and planted it early the following Spring and by the end of last November it had multiplied and filled the whole planter. We harvested and re-planted some of it in the planter and covered it up with a thick layer of mulch and placed the bulk of it in a planter box in the greenhouse and covered it lightly with some sandy dirt. Now, both planters are sprouting.

If you are having success with Turmeric, be careful to not run out.
My memory-challenged husband was doing so well with his leg pain therapy using Turmeric and ran out–couldn’t find any place and THEN asked me to get it from Puritan Pride.com–no–I am not affiliated, just go there for everything–so he has started all over with the treatment.
For those taking blood thinners, my husband takes blood thinner and aspirin and has had no interference with Turmeric dosage–two a day.

I don’t care for the taste of turmeric so I take it in capsule form. It’s a 400mg capsule. I take one a day. I will experiment with various recipes using turmeric until I find one or two that are tolerable. In the meantime, I purchased several bottles to last a couple of years.

Also the brand I bought has extra virgin olive oil mixed in with the turmeric, as it needs to be mixed with some sort of fat or oil in order for your body to absorb it. I tend to take the capsule when I eat a meal anyway, but some brands don’t do that. So if you opt for capsule form, check to see if there is some sort of fat mixed with it. Otherwise just take it when you eat.

Since starting the turmeric, my arthritis still affects me, but its like it was 30 years ago. Very, very mild symptoms. I am hoping that over time, it will disappear altogether.

I’ve been using turmeric paste and would like to try turmeric milk. The recipe from Shepherdess looks interesting since I love gingerbread and DH hates it. This way I can indulge whenever I’m jonesing for some gingerbread.

Also feed the paste to my old dog. I give her a full teaspoon blended into some peanut butter daily. Poor girl is not long for this world. She’s got cataracts, arthritis and a tumor growing on her neck. Also losing her hearing and has breathing difficulties. Suffered 2 stroke-like episodes in December and loses control of her bladder when she sleeps. DH can’t bear talking about having her put down. The dogs are due for check-ups in May so that’s when I’ll have to be the bad one and discuss putting her down with the vet. In the meantime, the turmeric paste improves her mobility and we get to love on her for a bit longer.

My wife puts 1/8 teaspoon of Turmeric on a 1/4 cup of rice,3/4 cup water, one cube chicken bouillon,1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, a dash of black pepper with a squirt of ketchup. This really spices up white rice. I also take a 1000 milligram capsule once a day for my arthritis. It has reduced pain in my hands a lot. I can’t believe it! I also take Glucosamine but it didn’t help till I added the Turmeric. I also exercise daily to improve my health. I’m 71 and getting ready for when the SHTF every day! Got 1/2 a yard of sand spared for more garden vegetables today. My wife got some fresh Turmeric and we are gonna see if we can grow it. I love the stuff.

FIBRO MYALGIA
I don’t know if I spelled it right, but TUMERIC in capsules has allowed my 88 year old mother to get a good night’s sleep for the first time in YEARS!!… oh, her doctor said “that’s nice”…
Blessings.

I sprinkle 1/4tsp. on my cottage cheese with fresh ground black pepper.
I also put it in my V8 juice with the pepper and a tsp. of Braggs Raw Apple Cider Vinegar.
My sister just made “Tumeric Bombs” for the first time the other day. She mixed the Tumeric and black pepper with Coconut Oil and/or honey and shaped them into little pill sizes. Then set them in freezer. Said they are easy to swallow. I’m not sure how much Tumeric she used but it made 72 little “bombs”. Apparently it’s way more economical to make your own. So, she’s taking it with her other supplements in the morning.

Anon, she wore gloves because the tumeric stains really bad! And she used 1/3 cup of Tumeric, a big pinch of finely ground fresh black pepper and 3 Tablespoons of either raw honey or coconut oil. She was able to make 72 of those bombs. I think she used a knife to slice off little bits of the concoction from the tumeric “dough” ball she created and rolled them in her palms.

Line a baking sheet with the unbleached parchment paper. Make room in your freezer to put the cookie sheet for a few hours when the Turmeric Bombs need to set.

Select one of the binding agents (Honey or coconut oil). You will need approximately 3 tablespoons. If you choose raw honey and it is thick, melt it in a saucepan over very low heat until it is pourable. Do the same with the coconut oil so it is liquid, but not hot.

In a bowl, stir together the turmeric, pepper,and your binding agent (either Coconut oil or raw honey) If using honey, you should have a thick and pliable mixture. If using oil, you should have a thick mixture with which you can form pills.

For the honey variation, pinch of small amounts of the “dough,” roll between your palms, and place on the baking sheet. For the oil variation, use a spoon to scoop small pill shapes onto the baking sheet.

Freeze until firm, then transfer to a storage container and keep in the freezer.

Take the turmeric bombs as needed. You can’t overdose on them. However, if you take a lot of the oil-based ones, the fat content may upset your stomach. It using the honey version, keep in mind that it does contain sugar (albeit unrefined and enzyme-rich sugar).

you make a good point “it makes me hungry just looking at it again”…
and indeed, every time I looked at it, me too (dam, gotta go eat now)..

so

what popped into my mind,
do up a few of these, say 8×14 or maybe that and larger size, dry mount or something, and next time you go to town/city, go around to a few breakfast places and ask if they would like to buy a few for hundred or so. You can point out the hunger (aka business) inducing qualities…

Papa J
on 04/12/2016 at 11:18 AM

Great post! I have tried cooking with it, but only want it at times. I have started to fill capsules and take it. A couple questions;
1) how much should I be taking? Can I take too much?
2) Black pepper seams to be used in conjunction. Mix some pepper in capsules?
3) How important is it to be organic?

Papa J, My sister has been doing a lot of research on Tumeric and she told me you can’t have too much of it. In other words, you can’t overdose on it. (Iron is one that you have to careful about taking too much of).

One thing for sure, is if you want to see results to take it consistantly.

I have been taking 1/4 teaspoon twice a day. I know people that take a lot more than that though.

And apparently it’s very important for it to Certified Organic because people are catching on to its amazing health benefits so “opportunists” are trying to sell less pure versions of it that aren’t the real deal.

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